Writing and self-publishing your book is one of the most rewarding experiences we can have. Most of us have dreamed of becoming a published author for years. Thanks to the advances in modern technology, we have the ability to get our work out there. Sadly, there’s one area of traditional publishing that can’t be beat: marketing strategies.
Traditional publishers usually get dibs on shelf-space at Barnes & Noble. They have access to publishing resources we could only dream of. This is one area that’s difficult for self-publishers to overcome. We often don’t know how to market our book outside of a few friends and family. So, how do we overcome this challenge?
Here are 5 marketing strategies that can help promote your book:
Table of Contents
1) Keep Writing
The reality is, your first book probably won’t be a hit success. It rarely is, even for traditionally published authors. You have no name recognition. No one has any idea who you are. They don’t know what you write or your storytelling ability. Even if you had all the confidence in the world that you wrote a masterpiece for the ages.
That doesn’t mean your book won’t sell. But it often takes more work to get noticed. After you write your first book, start working on the second, and the third. It’s like writing content for a blog. One blog post won’t get your page recognized. You need to put out regular good content before someone will notice you exist.
2) Make Sure Your Marketing Strategies are Professional
It’s important not to appear like an amateur at the game. A poorly created book cover, mistakes and typos in your book description, and sloppy formatting won’t help you. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but we all do it. We scroll through Amazon and look for something we might find appealing.
It’s usually the cover that catches our eyes. Then we move on to the book description to find out what it’s about. From there, we go on to reading the reviews to see what others think. No one blindly makes a purchase. If your whole process looks and feels professional from beginning to end, you have a better shot.
3) Don’t Spam Your Book Everywhere
In the vein of being a professional, don’t spam your book. Yes, you’re excited and want to get the word out, but no one likes to be spammed. It doesn’t give potential readers a good impression. It might even give off an air of desperation. Someone who is desperate to sell books must not be a good writer, or so they might think.
Instead, find a way to be more thoughtful. Provoke ideas and inspire discussion. Start a blog and social media pages and use your writing skills to your benefit. Before you know it, people will flock to your page and become interested in your voice. However, don’t constantly rail on about your book. It will reveal weak marketing strategies as well.
4) Encourage Reviews
It was pointed about above that one of the ways people will give your book a shot is through looking at reviews. If you have good reviews, it will be safe for the reader to give a new author a shot. Remember, you have no credibility until you make it. The best way to become a trusted writer is by having honest reviews on your work.
Also, don’t fret if you get a few bad ones. Going out of your way to remove bad reviews and making angry comments will only make you look bad. It’s okay if you get a bad review. Not everyone will like your work. Different tastes and open discussion are always important.
5) Use Amazon’s Tools
As of this writing, Amazon remains the leader of the pack. There’s no competitor within site. They not only make it easy for you to self-publish, they offer different tools as well. You can select to have a promotion for your book. For 5 days, you can set a discount or even offer it for free. These deals can get your book in front of thousands of people.
Yes, you will lose out on sales, but think about all the free publicity and reviews you’ll get. It’s okay to offer value if it gets your foot in the door. If they like the book, they’ll recommend it to their family and friends. This is how word-of-mouth works and the best way to promote yourself.
